José Altuve takes over as lead vote-getter in 2018 All-Star Game

There is still time left in the MLB All-Star voting, but you can probably assume Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve will be a starter. Altuve not only took over as the overall top vote-getter, but he also carries a huge lead over any other American League candidate at second base.

What happened?

Altuve passed Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts as the top overall vote-getter. Betts led all players in votes during the first update.

It’s going to be a tight race moving forward. Altuve leads Betts by only 3,684 votes. A surge by either player, or by Freddie Freeman — who leads the National League in votes — could result in a new leader in the next update.

Why did Altuve’s vote total rise?

Altuve saw his vote total jump because he’s churning out yet another excellent season. The 28-year-old is hitting .342/.398/.470, with five home runs, over 328 plate appearances.

Obviously, the fans play a big role in the voting, and it’s really no surprise to see Astros fans stuff the ballot box to make Altuve the top overall vote-getter. It helps that the Astros are on a roll right now. The team has won 12 straight games. That should get the fans fired up.

How’s the rest of the AL shaking out?

Three players other than Altuve and Betts currently have exceeded 1,000,000 votes. That list includes Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and J.D. Martinez.

You’ll also note that Altuve leads all AL second baseman by over 1,000,000 votes. He feels like a lock to start the game.

Here’s a full list of vote totals in the AL:

The AL All-Star voting update is in.

José Altuve now leads the way as the top overall vote-getter. He's destroying the competition at second base. pic.twitter.com/hVrwPuyCAx

What about the NL?

It’s the Atlanta Braves’ world and we’re just living in it. Freeman, Ozzie Albies and Nick Markakis lead the way at their respective positions. Both Freeman and Markakis have over 1,000,000 votes. Albies isn’t far behind.